The rapport between teacher and student is a sacred thing. It is hard won…over time. It cannot be rushed. It cannot be faked. It is trust that shows up time and time again, until mutual respect is achieved. Building rapport is something all great teachers do. It is an intangible skill that can’t exactly be … Continue reading Rapport
Lean into the Wonk
I just got home from our latest pottery camp at JCC Folk School. Dad started this tradition for me and Melinda by giving us a class each Christmas. Now that he has passed, we decided to continue this tradition in his memory. This was my fourth clay class at the folk school; Melinda’s fifth. She … Continue reading Lean into the Wonk
Letting the Light In
I have been doing some updates around the house. We’ve been here 26 years; it is time. By letting the light in, I am feeling life again. Opening the blinds in the morning lifts my spirits. Natural light floods all the spaces and the darkness flees. For the past year, gloom has kept the windows … Continue reading Letting the Light In
What Kind of God…
I think it's time to bring this one back around. Written a few years back, it feels like it might be for this moment. What kind of God clothes himself in flesh? What creator forms and then inhabits his creation? What divine presence comes forth from the womb of a woman? What God gives himself … Continue reading What Kind of God…
Bill’s Alive Day
This year Bill’s Alive Day hits a bit differently. I am still in a grief-filled space. The trauma of the past couple of years is fresh. It seems to be pulling a scab off the old TBI trauma. All of the events are running together, dredged up in my mind and heart. We celebrate this … Continue reading Bill’s Alive Day
Snowy Days
I have always loved snowy days; that’s how you know I am from the South. Seeing snow makes me giddy. If there is snow in the forecast I am more likely to run towards it than away. Back before 4 kids and 2 knee replacements, I was a skier. There are certain days, like today, … Continue reading Snowy Days
God. Have. Mercy.
God. Have. Mercy. We have lost our way. Contempt is our daily bread. Scorn our companion. Judgement flows from our mouths in a torrent. We have turned our faces away from each other. Away from you. We cannot see. Our hearts are heavy with the weight of our blindness. Remove the scales from our eyes. … Continue reading God. Have. Mercy.
Spit Baths
January 7, 1973. Atlanta. I was 10. I remember it was cold. I remember hoping for snow. Instead, we got ice. Tons of it. The trees that were left standing were bent in half. Afterwards, it looked like a tornado had come through our area. Clean up took months. Regrowth of trees took years. The … Continue reading Spit Baths
The Door to the Secret Place
I don’t know what to say. Still. You would think this writer’s block would have passed by now. But my words are still catching somewhere between my brain and my fingers. Usually my feelings flow freely onto the page. It is my way to process. Maybe it’s because there is so much to process lately … Continue reading The Door to the Secret Place
2026
For all who are weary. For all who are tired. For all who are holding your breath, waiting for another shoe to drop. I am with you. I am you. 2026. A new day. A clean slate. For the heart sick. For those exhausted by hardship and loss. A new year to try again. A … Continue reading 2026
Michelle's Mosaic 